Fans of Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool will not have to wait as long as expected for the release of the movie's highly-anticipated sequel. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Fox has been shuffling around the release dates of its X-Men movies, and now Deadpool 2 will be releasing on 18 May this year, which is two weeks earlier than its original release date of 1 June. Ryan Reynolds confirmed this news in a tweet.

Deadpool 2 is not the only movie to have its release date changed. 20th Century Fox is also changing the release dates for its horror flick The New Mutant by nearly a year. The film, originally slated to be released on 13 April this year, will no release on 22 February, 2019. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this is to ensure that The New Mutants and Deadpool 2 don’t overlap theatrical runs in some overseas markets.

Still from Deadpool/Image from YouTube.

Deadpool 2’s new release date puts it in theaters a week before Disney is slated to release Solo: A Star Wars Story. The original Deadpool was a surprise box office hit when it hit theaters in 2016, and expectations are high for its upcoming sequel. Normally, a studio wouldn't put itself in a position where a Star Wars film could negatively impact its second weekend at the box office, but it appears 20th Century Fox is up for the competition.